【 THE SECOND OFFENSIVE BEGINS 】

Friday Night.

For many online games, this was the time frame when the server became most active.

By this time, office workers had already returned home, students were done with school, and with the weekend ahead, they could indulge in gaming without restraint.

Elven Kingdom was no exception.

However, unlike a typical weekend, the Chosen City is unusually quiet tonight. The once-bustling streets, usually filled with chatter have turned into a ghost town.

Even the occasional players spotted in the city seem to be in a hurry. Without stopping to browse or chat, they sprint toward the teleportation array at the city center before their figures vanish within it in an instant.

But if one were to shift their focus to the southern maps, they would begin to see a surge of activity, particularly around Rivendell in the Dark Mountains bordering the Desert of Death…

From Eve’s monitoring sandtable, it becomes evident that player activity was heavily concentrated in these regions.

Among them, the Desert of Death had the highest concentration of players, followed by the Dark Mountains, with Rivendell having the least.

Moreover, the number of players in the latter two locations is rapidly dwindling, while their presence in a particular region of the Desert continues to swell. The mass gathering of players forms a dazzling cluster of light on the sandtable, so intense that the finer details blur into an indistinct glow.

This location was once a small Orc settlement in the northern reaches of the Desert of Death.

However, it had fallen to the players several days ago.

Now, this area had been repurposed and had become the temporary encampment for the elven army.

A long-distance teleportation array leading to the Dark Mountains has also been established here.

As for the three glowing points on the map, they merely mark the teleportation sites in these areas.

At this very moment, the settlement itself has been reduced to little more than ruins, its original structures now buried beneath a sprawling sea of densely packed tents.

From time to time, players would emerge from their tents, stretching their limbs and adjusting their equipment, their sluggish movements betraying the fact that they have only just logged in.

Some rub their eyes as they shake off the remnants of sleep, while others immediately check their inventories, preparing for the battle ahead.

Meanwhile, a different group of players is already hard at work. They move methodically, dismantling tents, bundling supplies, and organizing provisions with practiced efficiency.

The atmosphere buzzes with quiet urgency, a sure sign that something significant is about to unfold.

Excitement and anticipation were evident on every player’s face, their eyes gleaming with fervor.

The call to assemble has already sounded across the encampment, and the fastest squads are beginning to form their ranks.

The second round of the offensive is about to begin.

Like a massive war machine rousing from its slumber, the entire elven army slowly stirs to life.

On a hill overlooking the vast encampment, Dongdong sat astride her bronze dragon, her gaze sweeping over the surroundings. From her vantage point, it was evident that the camp was noticeably larger than it had been during the first offensive four days ago.

“Menghan, don’t you think there are even more people this time?” she remarked, raising an eyebrow as she observed the steady flow of players preparing for battle.

Beside her, the Archdruid Meng Zhihan was also perched atop her dragon. She scanned the surroundings before shifting her attention to the battlefield chat channel.

“There are indeed more. The battlefield channel has already hit 130,000 players, and it’s still climbing,” she replied, nodding in agreement.

130,000!

During the first offensive, while the total number of participants had reached 120,000, the peak number of active listeners in the battlefield chat channel had never exceeded 110,000.

After all, not everyone is interested in following the orders of someone.

In large-scale warfare, especially in a virtual setting, some players prefer to avoid structured commands altogether.

Rather than following orders or coordinating with larger groups, they are simply content with operating independently, completing objectives and earning rewards on their own terms.

So for the battlefield channel to reach 130,000 concurrent users, it likely means the actual number of participants in this war campaign has exceeded 140,000, possibly even breaking the 150,000 mark.

Yet one thing to note was that, the total maximum number of Elven Kingdom players was only 160,000.

In other words, nearly every active player has joined this event.

This isn’t surprising.

Several days had passed since the first offensive, and the rewards for the second one were exceptionally more generous, which naturally garnered more interest.

In addition, those 40,000 players who hadn’t yet reached the upper Iron-Rank were just a step away from the max threshold.

The exhilarating battles from the first offensive had already been streamed and uploaded online, sparking widespread discussion. Odds were that many lower-level players who watched these streams were thoroughly motivated.

In preparation for tonight’s second offensive, even the more casual players had been grinding relentlessly.

They squeezed in every possible moment to level up and, through sheer effort, managed to reach upper Iron-Rank within three in-game days.

Now, fewer than 10,000 players remained below upper Iron-Rank, mostly due to real-life commitments such as school or work, preventing them from grinding at the same pace as the others.

However, more than just the surge in numbers, what truly caught Meng Zhihan’s attention—yet felt entirely logical—was the noticeable increase in overall player strength.

She noticed that ever since the first offensive, both the number of participants and the players’ overall combat power had significantly increased. It wasn’t just about their levels—their combat efficiency, teamwork, and adaptability had all seen notable improvements as well.

“The Desert of Death is seriously an awesome place to level up. In just a few days, everyone’s levels have skyrocketed. Guess the next batch of public beta isn’t too far off.”

She sighed softly.

She had noticed that whenever the level gap between players narrowed to a certain extent, the devs would usually open new slots for additional players.

If her guess was correct, Meng Zhihan estimated that the next public beta entry was fast approaching at this rate.

“Oh, I think it’s because everyone went crazy and gone on a killing spree. You weren’t online these past three days, so you have no idea how insane the grind has been. In fact, Li Mu had his eyes on attacking a few small Orc settlements nearby, but the others wiped them out before we could even plan our attack!”

“Honestly, even though every legion army is on break right now, the skirmishes over the past few days have been even wilder than the actual war! Especially those mid-sized and smaller guilds—they went on a rampage, attacking any tribes in the vicinity.”

Dongdong shook her head in exasperation.

Hearing her explanation, Meng Zhihan gave her a speechless look.

“So, based on what you just said… You, a top university student in the capital, skipped class again, didn’t you?”

Dongdong looked slightly embarrassed, her nearly flawless face turning a faint shade of red.

“Cough, cough! It’s just an elective! Skipping a few classes won’t tank my grade.”

Meng Zhihan: “…”

“I’m starting to think dragging you into this game was a mistake.”

She rubbed her temples.

Just as Dongdong had mentioned, the three-day respite hadn’t given the players much time to relax. While large-scale offensive operations had paused, small skirmishes were still happening constantly, keeping the region in a constant state of unrest.

Eager to strengthen themselves before the second offensive, many players formed small raiding parties, mimicking the tactics of the first vanguard forces. They scoured the surrounding areas, launching relentless assaults on any nearby Orc settlements.

The results were quite remarkable, as in just three days, the average level of upper Iron-Rank players had increased by nearly two levels. As a result, every Orc tribe within a thirty-kilometer radius had been completely wiped out, leaving behind a desolate wasteland.

After finishing her banter with her friend, Meng Zhihan continued scanning her surroundings.

She had spatial storage, so her luggage was already packed in her ring. Now, she was simply waiting for their guild to assemble.

But as her gaze swept over the teleportation array, she suddenly paused.

“Huh? The natives aren’t joining the battle this time?”

During the first offensive, hundreds of elven NPCs had participated.

Most of them are archers with extremely accurate archery skills. Each of them was a master archer and played a very important role when the players launched their first offensive.

Yet now, Meng Zhihan watched as those same elves were steadily leaving the battlefield via the teleportation array.

“They were summoned back by the Church of Life. In fact, every NPC, including Alice and Aél, was called back as well. Only Big Sister is staying behind. Hmm… seems like they have another mission. If I had to guess, it’s probably related to the upcoming questline.”

Dongdong glanced at the teleportation array as she spoke.

“You sure know a lot,” Meng Zhihan remarked in surprise.

“Heh, yeah, well, I’m a Silver-rank Life Priest. Naturally, I have access to a fair amount of insider information from the Church. I even know that something’s happening in the demirealm of Ouros. Looks like all the NPCs there have been mobilized.”

Dongdong sounded rather proud.

The NPCs have been mobilized?

Could it have something to do with the Goddess?

Meng Zhihan fell into thought.

After a brief pause, Dongdong continued,

“Honestly, it’s probably for the best that the natives are leaving the battlefield. The upcoming fight is going to be more brutal. And unlike us, they can’t resurrect themselves. So every time an NPC dies, the players fighting alongside them will lose huge experience and contribution points.”

“Besides, the natives have already gained plenty of battle experience. Just look at them…they’ve changed a lot compared to when they first arrived.”

Meng Zhihan nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. Their whole demeanor is different now, like they’ve been through a baptism of blood and fire. They seem more… tougher.”

Though she didn’t say it out loud, she also noticed that the players had changed, too.

How should she put it…?

It felt like they were starting to look like real soldiers.

Sure, the players had fought plenty of battles before, but something had always been missing.

Yet after just one large-scale battle, something had shifted within everyone’s demeanor.

Perhaps this was the true impact of the war.

After all, a hunter who only hunts animals would never possess the same presence as a soldier who has experienced the battlefield…

How Interesting.

Meng Zhihan mused.

Just then, a message popped up in the Heart of Nature guild chat, calling for all members to assemble.

At the same time, the battlefield channel’s war anthem began playing once more.

The chief commander, Li Mu, went live on voice chat.

“The second offensive is about to begin. All major guilds, tell your members to get into their legions. Copy the message I’ve posted in the main chat and send it to the public world channel. Make sure anyone who hasn’t joined the battlefield channel gets in now!”

Shortly after he spoke, the public world chat exploded.

Everywhere she looked, the same message flooded the screen:

“The second offensive is about to begin! Everyone, join the battlefield channel! Channel number: ******”

It was an age-old tradition in most online games.

Meanwhile, the battlefield channel’s population started climbing again, soon surpassing 140,000 players which was a new record for Elven Kingdom.

Dongdong and Meng Zhihan wasted no time, swiftly joining the growing player army.

With experience from the first battle, this time, despite the increased number of participants, the assembly process was even faster.

A massive army of 150,000 players had fully formed in under twenty minutes.

“Each of the four legion army, maintain a ten-kilometer distance!”

“This time… we’re rolling straight through!”

“Full-scale assault!”

“Our Target—Sandstorm City!”

Li Mu’s voice rang through the battlefield channel.

And with his command, the well-rested, battle-hungry player finally surged forward.

Like four parallel torrents, the 150,000-strong elven army surged across the region, before pouring deeper into the Desert of Death…

— 520 —

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep